The present invention relates to article vending machines comprising generally a cabinet for housing a plurality of vertically stacked, generally horizontally disposed and movable trays or shelves for holding products to be vended. Each shelf includes a plurality of longitudinally extended, parallel helical feeder coils mounted in individual troughs, rotation of a coil advancing product interposed between the convolutions of the coils to a delivery opening. Each shelf is movable from an inner vending position to an outwardly extended position, the shelf extended beyond the open face of the cabinet for ease of servicing and loading products.
The machine includes further a door, normally with a glass front insert, which door usually carries a product delivery drawer with an anti-theft structure, and a coin discharge unit; thus, the door has substantial depth. Trim is normally mounted about the face of the door for aesthetic purposes.
With this conventional machine available, several requirements of the industry and marketplace place rigid and demanding conditions on the design of the machine. A shelf must be pulled out sufficiently far enough to load the rear of the shelf with new products. This requires the door to be swung sufficiently about its pivot to enable the shelf to clear the door structure. The degree of door opening, however, is limited by the placement of the machine relative to a wall or other structure, such as another vending machine. The consuming public is familiar with a plurality of vending machines placed side-by-side in contacting engagement virtually from wall to wall in a public or corporate-type lunch room. The close proximity of the machines is such that even the depth of the door trim may present problems with respect to space limitations.
Several structural arrangements have been devised in attempts to solve these problems, including changing the depths of the door, changing the pivot point for the door, and even having a pivot point within the vertical trim; however, none of the present structures solve all of the problems attendant with fulfilling all of the conditions. For example, one solution involved retaining the hinged side wall of the door in place and in a coupled engagement with the cabinet corner. This provided, however, an opening for the insertion of a pry bar or the like in the coupled hinge by thieves, anti-thievery provisions being a necessity in vending machines due to their exposure to the public at all times of the day and in many non-protected areas.
Another condition is the capability of the vending machine being moved through doors of conventional width. A variety of arrangements have been tried, one being to recess the tray area for maneuvering the machine through a doorway. Due primarily to the need to limit the degree of opening of the door, this type of effort has had only limited success.